The History of the Cup

The beginning

In March 1873, eight clubs - Queen's Park, Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, Third Lanark, Eastern Granville and Kilmarnock - came together to form the Scottish Football Association. It was decided that there should be a knockout competition open to all member clubs and the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup was formed. Following the FA Cup, it is the second oldest competition in association football.

The Scottish FA imposed new rules for these competitive games, helping to raise standards and putting the foundations in place for the professional game in Scotland.

The first tournament began in October 1873 and a total of 16 teams entered the competition. The final was held on 21 March 1874 at the original Hampden Park with Queen’s Park emerging victorious against Clydesdale. It was a tournament that Queen’s Park would dominate during that early period.

The trophy

The trophy stands at two-feet high and is primarily made from silver. Costing 56 pounds and 13 shillings at the time, the commission was given to Glasgow gold and silversmiths George Edward & Sons.

Although the Scottish Cup may be the second competition formed in the history of association football, the trophy itself is the oldest in the game and is recognised as such by Guinness World Records. The FA Cup is the oldest tournament but their trophy has been replaced on more than one occasion while the Scottish Cup has retained the same silverware since its launch in the 19th century.

Queen’s Park Captain, JJ Thompson was the first to lift the trophy when his team triumphed at the old Hampden. Since that day, every winning captain has held the cup aloft, adding to the legacy but also experiencing a connection to its rich past. The team don’t get to keep the trophy for long though. To protect this precious item, as soon as the team complete their victory lap, it’s returned to its custodians with a replica given to the club to display in their trophy cabinet.

You can see the Scottish Cup at the Scottish Football Museum in Hampden Park.

The arena

Hampden is synonymous with the Scottish Cup with the finals having been played at Scotland’s National Stadium on a regular basis since 1925 and on many occasions before that. The current Hampden is the third football ground to bear the name but the legacy remains intact.

The first Hampden Park gained its name from its location, built between Queen's Park Recreation Ground and Hampden Terrace. It was home to Queen’s Park for a decade from 1873 and hosted the first ever Scottish Cup Final in 1874 with 2,500 spectators in attendance. The final visited various grounds including Hamilton Crescent, Kinning Park and Cathkin Park with Hampden hosting again on several occasions.

Queen’s Park were forced to move following developments around the ground and the second Hampden Park first hosted the tournament in 1885 and would be the venue for the final on a further 10 occasions until 1899.

The current Hampden opened in 1903 and hosted its first Scottish Cup Final in April 1904 where Rangers and Celtic played a five-goal thriller in front of 64,472, the largest crowd ever seen at a Scottish Cup Final up to that point. While the Scottish Cup Final would wander between Ibrox, Celtic Park and Hampden throughout the early 20th century, eventually it settled in 1925. As demand increased, so did the capacity and an incredible 147,365 strong crowd turned out for the 1937 final featuring Celtic and Aberdeen.

As times have changed, so has Hampden with the final phase of its modernisation completed in 1999 to make it an all-seater stadium with leading edge facilities and a capacity of 51,866. It may have taken many forms over the years, but the magic of the Scottish Cup can still be witnessed every season, and the atmosphere on those great occasions remains unmatched by any other venue.

The winners

Queen’s Park dominated the early years of the cup, winning the first three tournaments. They would win 10 Scottish Cup titles in total with their last coming in 1893.

Celtic have won the trophy more times than any other club with 37 titles to their name, the last coming in 2017. Their Glasgow rivals Rangers are not far behind with 33 Scottish Cup triumphs, the last coming in 2009.

In total, 25 teams have won the Scottish Cup but many of the names engraved on the trophy are no longer part of Scottish Football. Renton FC, Third Lanark and St Bernard’s may have long since disappeared but their names live on through their triumphs.

The Cup can still produce surprises with each club competing fiercely in the knowledge that a win will turn them into legends. In 2014, St Johnstone reached their first ever Scottish Cup Final in their 130-year history and won the match 2-0 against Dundee United. The following year, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, a club formed in 1994, were victorious against Falkirk. Results like this enrich the history of the Cup and they mean that each new season, fans and players from every club dare to dream.